


Just a Dare

by aqonyx



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner RPF, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Cute, Dare, Dylan being an idiot, Friendship/Love, M/M, dylmas - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-04-21 08:05:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14280618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aqonyx/pseuds/aqonyx
Summary: Dylan is being an idiot and he knows it. He doesn't exactly know what is bothering him so much but even if he did, he wouldn't admit to it anyway. Yet when the dare is brought up again, for what feels like the billionth time, he just snaps. And that's when it all goes to shit.





	1. The Interview

**Author's Note:**

> Started as a short nothing, but it just escalated so now here we are. Also, gonna be reedited.

They've been traveling for about a month now, attending movie premieres, signing posters and giving countless interviews all day long. The cast could feel the strain of journeying all around the world in such a short amount of time. Still, it was nothing they weren't used to, nothing they couldn't handle. Except for Dylan, it seemed. 

So yes, maybe he was a little on edge lately. He kept blaming it on the stress of filming on such a tight schedule, followed immediately by the international press tour and the endless interviews. It was definitely a lot to handle. 

And yes, maybe he had been a little grumpy and cold towards Thomas lately, but that's what happens when you have no choice but to be glued to the hip at all times. It wasn't his fault that their publicists had put him and Thomas into the same group for almost every single interview on every single day. That's why he had been so tense around Thomas lately. No other reason. 

Still, Dylan knew he spent just as much time with the other cast members as with Thomas and he had absolutely no problem with them. Somehow, he had singled out the Thomas for letting out his frustration, knowing fully well that the blonde hadn’t done anything wrong at all. And although there was seemingly nothing Dylan could possibly do to help the ever-growing irritation he felt towards his friend, knowing he was probably hurting Thomas still felt a little like hurting himself. Eventually the guilt that consumed him for the way he treated the blonde made him desperately resolve to the silent treatment, avoiding any kind of interaction as much as possible. He also tried to ignore the nagging voice at the back of his mind that kept telling him that he had always _liked_ Thomas and that their constant being together was really not the core issue. 

He was just making up excuses for his stupid behaviour. Nevertheless, Dylan kept coming up with different pretexts to the best of his ability, drowning himself in untruthful justifications and he was unwilling to admit even just to himself the real reason for his irritated mood. He would gladly make himself believe every lie in the world, as long as it had nothing to do with the dare. It was _not_ because of the stupid dare. 

Then, on one of the last days of the Maze Runner press tour, Dylan's denial finally caught up to him. He had already been physically and mentally drained, was tired of answering the same questions all day, every day and he just couldn't relax when Thomas spent every waking moment at his side. At the same time, Dylan sensed that Kaya and Thomas, who were with him for this last interview, were just as worn-out as himself and thus he forced himself to lighten up. They were all exhausted but still, they put up a front that was all smiles and jokes just the way it was supposed to be. The way _they_ were supposed to be. They were actors, after all.

Either way, it had been a long day and Dylan was tired and a little fed up and his brain had turned to mush, making it impossible for him to process the words in his head before they tumbled from his lips and since his brain-to-mouth filter was already pretty ineffective to begin with, he somehow knew the interview couldn’t possibly go well.  
Of course, Dylan and Thomas were a bit of a mess, failing as usual to really answer the questions they were asked by drifting off or just bickering back and forth while Kaya took it upon herself to give some more serious replies for all three of them. This was normal for them. Nothing extraordinary. Interviews had never really been their forte, not that they minded, for to them it was always quite fun and entertaining. So, everything had been going perfectly fine, at first. But then it just had to be brought up again. Of course, it did.

"One last question", the young girl who was interviewing them started with a cheeky smile and looked at Dylan, "We heard there was some kind of bet to kiss going on between you and Thomas. What's the story behind that?" 

Dylan's smile faltered a little. Just the smallest, barely visible crack in his seemingly cheerful appearance, but it definitely didn't go unnoticed by Kaya and Thomas. Dylan tensed under the curious looks he got from both of his friends. He suddenly felt uncomfortable and annoyed, swallowing hard to keep himself from snapping at the poor girl who was definitely not at fault for his sensitive reaction to the topic. He realised that the appropriate timespan for him to answer this goddamn question had already passed but his voice was failing him miserably and he couldn’t think of anything to say at all, his mind going completely blank. Thankfully, Kaya came to his rescue the way she always did before he could panic and make a complete fool out of himself. 

"It was just dare to see who'd pull away first", she explained, "Thomas definitely got Dylan on that one"

She laughed a little, not so much because she thought it was funny but because she hoped it would stop Dylan from feeling so uneasy. It was just a silly dare. A joke. They'd had a good laugh and that was all there really was to it. Right? She nudged him playfully into the side and shot him a gentle smile as if saying _"It's okay, it's just an interview"_. Dylan quickly averted his eyes as he felt a subtle blush creep up his neck. He would thank her for this after the interview. Right then, he was too busy trying not to embarrass himself in front of the camera. 

"Oh, so Thomas, would you have gone through with it?", the girl persisted, still grinning and completely unaware of how close this interview was to take a turn for the worse. 

Dylan held his breath for a second to suppress the most exasperating sigh the world would have ever heard and internally screamed at everyone to just _drop the goddamn subject_ and _move on_! But he didn't. He anticipated Thomas' answer with dread as he knew exactly what the other would say and he also knew he wouldn't like it. It has been this way since the very first time the subject had come up in public and Dylan felt his patience crumbling. He slowly but surely has had enough, even if he didn’t know exactly of what just yet. 

"I totally would have gone through with it", Thomas replied in his typical too serious tone that immediately showed that he was actually just kidding, "I mean we're actors, it's part of the job. It's what we do. Also, I never say no to a good dare" 

Kaya burst out laughing at Thomas' ridiculous deadpan answer. Dylan knew his friend was just joking and usually, he would have been the first one to crack up and join the act, but Thomas had definitely hit a raw nerve. Dylan was done with being publicly outed as a fucking chicken while the other got to gloat about something that never fucking happened. 

"It wasn’t a good dare, it was just a stupid idea that everyone took too serious, including yourself. There’s absolutely nothing to brag and joke about because let's face it, Thomas, you didn't actually have the guts to go through with it now, did you?!", he snapped at the blonde, regretting the words as soon as they had slipped out. _Fucking filter, Dylan_ , he scolded himself internally, but it was too late.  
He tried to soften the blow with a chuckle that would somehow show that he's just joking when he really wasn’t but all he managed was to bark out a spiteful laugh that made everything even worse. 

_Why did he always have to be so fucking impulsive?_

Dylan didn't even manage to truly process the fact that he'd just majorly embarrassed himself during an interview again and in front of a recording camera again by publicly outing himself as a really stupid and childsih idiot again. He did, however, process the way Thomas' face immediately fell at his sharp words, hurt washing over his expression for a split second before the blonde frowned ever so slightly as if trying to decipher if he'd actually upset the other.  
Dylan stared back at Thomas speechlessly. His mind was racing, and his feelings quarrelled within him. Part of him wanted to apologize a million times but at the same time he was still so incredibly pissed off and he really didn't want to cause a scene, but he also knew it was already too late for that anyway and he just couldn't find the right words to say and he really didn't know what to do or how to save the situation, so he just sat there, glaring at his friend who technically hadn't done anything wrong. And then, Thomas actually _squirmed_ under his intense gaze, his eyes fell to the floor and he nervously bit down on his bottom lip.

Dylan eyes softened as he felt his chest constrict painfully. 

The last thing he would ever want to do was to make Thomas feel bad about talking in interviews, especially since Dylan already thought his friend spoke up way too rarely anyway. In fact, he would never purposely want to make Thomas feel bad about anything in any way and suddenly he felt so incredibly guilty again because why was he such an idiot and what was his fucking problem?! It was just a joke. A dare. He was overreacting because of a stupid dare. At that thought, frustration overwhelmed him once more and he couldn’t bear it any longer. He couldn’t bear the awkward silence, or the questioning looks from the interviewer and from Kaya and he most certainly couldn’t bear to look at Thomas, whose flushed cheeks were indicator enough that Dylan had humiliated him. In that very moment, the brunette hated himself. He tore his eyes away from Thomas and left without another word.  
He didn’t care about causing a scene anymore, he had already ruined the interview anyway. He could hear his name being yelled after him several times, but it just made him walk faster, not wanting to talk to anyone. There was nothing to discuss anyway. He didn’t even try to identify who was calling for him. Relief washed through his body when the voices faded into silence behind him as he rushed out of the building. Five minutes later, he sat alone in the back of a cab on his way to return to the hotel. He couldn't stop replaying his humiliating outburst in his mind and with every time the scenario repeated itself in his head, he felt a little worse. He also knew that he'd massively get into trouble with their publicists, but that was the smallest of his worries. He had never really cared for his image and public appearances anyway. 

Instead, he was busy freaking out about Thomas, who probably hated him now. Or he was at least really mad and completely justified so. Even Kaya was most probably upset with him. Dylan knew that publicly embarrassing himself was one thing but putting Thomas on the spot like that during a taped interview was a whole new level of shameful. He could handle embarrassment and the mess he always made for himself, but he should never have dragged Thomas into it. At least not like that. The pained look on his friend’s face flashed through his mind as he let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, forcing back the ridiculous tears that threatened from spilling. Great. He was truly behaving like a silly child. He really needed to get his act together. 

Dylan entered his room and slammed the door behind him, carelessly tossing his jacket onto the floor. He stood still for two seconds maybe before he started pacing up and down, trying to calm down. Trying to figure out what he should do next. Trying to understand why he was unable to just let the dare go. Every time it was brought up, Dylan's mood would sink, and he'd become irritated and unpleasant, especially to Thomas. He hated it. He hated feeling frustrated without being able to do anything about it. He hated how it impacted his friendship with Thomas. He hated knowing that his friend was innocent in the matter and didn't deserve the backlash he was receiving. He hated himself for behaving the way he did. He didn’t know how to fix things.

Then, as if on cue, there was a knock on the door. After a short moment of surprise, Dylan knew exactly who'd be standing in the hallway. Of course had Thomas followed him. Of course would Thomas still be a good friend when he himself was being an idiot.

Dylan stood frozen in place in the middle of his room, furiously wiping away the few tears he’d shed. There was absolutely no reason for him to cry, why in the world was he being so emotional? A surge of panic flowed through his body and he had to force himself to keep breathing. They would have to talk to each other at some point, Dylan couldn’t and didn’t want to ignore and avoid Thomas forever. He also really needed to apologise profoundly, for although he was currently behaving like an insensitive moron, he didn’t actually want to lose a friend because of his own inability to keep it together. At least not Thomas. 

"Yeah?", he called out, not having the courage to go up and open the door. He could see the handle move and internally braced himself to confront whatever the problem actually was. Thomas entered slowly, almost hesitantly, closing the door behind him before he moved to stand just in front of it, keeping some distance between them. He was looking everywhere but at Dylan, while the younger’s eyes immediately focused on Thomas. They always did. 

"I'm sorry", they breathed out simultaneously after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. Dylan shook his head, knowing he was at fault regardless of how he felt. 

"You really have nothing to apologize for. I'm so sorry for what happened earlier, for what I said. It was cruel and very unprofessional", he mumbled, trying to ignore how his entire face heated up.  
Thomas chuckled, letting his eyes wander around the room restlessly, "When have we ever been professional?"

Dylan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I know. But I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that. I really didn't mean to and I feel horrible about it. I truly am sorry."

Thomas simply nodded as if he didn’t even really care and took a few steps towards Dylan before raising his gaze to look him straight in the eyes. The words he wanted to say evaded him as he took in the brunette’s appearance. 

“Have you been crying?”, he asked and frowned deeply. Dylan shrank under his stare, the question alone bringing back the tears he had successfully managed to suppress so far. He shook his head.

“Can we not do this now? Please”, he begged softly. Thomas refrained only with difficulty from reaching out to his friend, but he didn’t want to make him any more uncomfortable. His heart sank at the desperation in the younger’s voice and he decided to let it go, not wanting to push him any further.

“So, what did I do?”, he asked instead, his voice wavering a little. The question took Dylan by surprise.

“Nothing”, he said hastily, "Why would you even ask that?" 

Thomas rolled his eyes at him. "C'mon Dylan, you've been distant for weeks now. I can see you usually don't even want me around at all. So, what did I do? Just tell me"  
Hurt was now so clearly laced in Thomas' voice that Dylan was taken aback. His heart clenched painfully. He hadn't realised he'd been avoiding his friend in such an unmistakably obvious way. Well, maybe he had but he had neglected to think about what it must seem like to everyone else. To Thomas. He hadn’t thought about how the other would feel. He felt awful. It saddened him to think that the Thomas had just accepted his coldness and his idiocy, looking for the blame in no other than himself. Dylan's eyes fell to the floor in shame.

“I do want you around”, he whispered, not knowing how to explain his behaviour.

“You’ve been straight up ignoring me for ages now”, Thomas protested half-heartedly, suddenly not sure anymore if he really wants to know the answer. He wasn’t at all used to Dylan being so reserved and it made him feel awfully uncomfortable. He couldn’t recall pushing his friend away in any sense, ever and didn’t understand what could possibly make the brunette withdraw from him to such extent.

“I know, I’m sorry”, Dylan sighed in defeat, deciding honesty was probably the best way to go about this, “I just don’t know how to behave around you anymore, I’m so on edge and I- “

"Is it the dare?", Thomas interrupted curiously, searching for Dylan's eyes. Frustration flooded the brunette at the mention of the dare the way it always did, and he kept diverting his eyes away from Thomas, taking a deep breath. 

"Why does everyone always have to bring up the dare? It happened, I'm over it, why can't we just drop the subject for good?", he said a little too loudly, which only confirmed Thomas' guess. It was definitely the dare. 

"What is so bad about it? It was a joke. People keep bringing it up because it’s funny." Thomas voice was neutral, maybe concerned if anything, but Dylan couldn't help feeling put on the spot. It’s not like he wasn’t aware of how much he was overreacting, and he really didn’t need Thomas to rub it in his face even more. He blew up on his friend. Again.

"Yeah, well I thought it would be funny too, I mean it was my idea after all. But this is just ridiculous, I don’t want to listen to how much of a chicken I am every single day and I don’t want to hear you gloat about it and I am just so done with it!” 

He wasn’t done with it. He was so far from done with it, even though he wouldn’t admit that. He wasn’t done with this dare, he was unable to get over it and he couldn’t let it go. If he liked it or not, that was the problem. And although he was incredibly confused and didn’t even know where the conversation was headed, he was at least talking about it. He was trying.

“So, you're annoyed with me and everyone else because you lost the dare?”, Thomas recapitulated, and Dylan realised how much more ridiculous the whole scenario actually sounded coming from his friend than formulated in his own head. He felt a little lost. A little more misunderstood. A little more frantic.

“Yes. I mean no, actually that’s not it. I didn’t lose the dare, because nothing even happened. You didn't actually do anything. We just left the whole thing so incomplete and it’s driving me insane, especially with everyone talking about what _might_ have happened _if_ one of us had gone through with it but they don’t actually know. _We_ don’t even know. And you know what, it’s also just you. You’re just so goddamn _infuriating_ , always talking and gloating about how you would have done it, but fact is, you didn’t. And I mean one of us _had_ to pull away, right? It wasn’t actually _supposed_ to happen. But this also wasn’t supposed to become such a big deal, but it is to me. It’s just like you said, we’re actors so this shouldn’t be a problem at all, we kiss people all the time. Maybe we should have just fucking gone through with it, so that I wouldn’t be left wondering why I couldn’t do it and why you didn’t do it. So, what if I might have wanted you to do it, that doesn’t’ mean anything, right? And why am I even freaking out so much when you’re not? Do you even care at all?!”

Dylan was too worked up now to think straight, his brain-to-mouth filter completely non-existent and all the emotions he had denied for so long were resurfacing much stronger than he had thought possible. He was out of breath from yelling before he had even finished, his last words had sounded like nothing more but a weak, pathetic whine and for some foolish reason, tears dwelled up in his eyes again. He was just so confused, stressed and really exhausted and being confronted by Thomas was just incredibly overwhelming considering that he hadn't even really been able confront himself and think it through.

Then, his eyes widened in shock as he thought about what he'd just said. The words had kept tumbling out of his mouth and he was only now able to grasp their meaning. He had just confessed to Thomas how much it bothered him that they never completed that dare. Five minutes ago, he hadn't even been able to admit that to himself and now he had literally told Thomas. In other words, he'd just said that he would have wanted them to go through with the kiss. Worse even, he'd just justified his horrible behaviour towards his friend with the fact that Thomas didn't kiss him. He really was looking for humiliation today. Dylan suddenly felt like he was insane. Panic and regret instantly washed over him as his he felt his cheeks flush, burning bright red. He didn't even dare to look at the blonde anymore, knowing the other would sport a mocking smile and laugh at him for his unbelievable ridiculousness. For his vulnerability. And he would be right to do so. After all, what kind of person reproaches their friend for not kissing them? Only Dylan. Thomas would probably just never speak to him again. An interview gone wrong was definitely nothing compared to how mortified and panicked Dylan felt right then.

"Oh my god", he whispered to himself and buried his face in his hands, wishing the ground would just swallow him whole. His breathing seemed to fail him, and he struggled to fill his lungs with air as he reflexively doubled over slightly. Somehow, all he wanted was to hide away and cry. He panicked, badly, for a reason he couldn’t quite understand himself.  
But Thomas' laughter never came. Instead, the older boy had approached Dylan in two quick steps and wrapped his hands around the other's wrists, pulling the hands away from his face gently, but determined. Thomas could feel the younger tremble ever so slightly and frowned in concern. Why was he so upset? Dylan shuddered at the other's touch, his cheeks still burning bright with embarrassment, his thoughts racing. 

"Dylan, it's okay", Thomas mumbled, "Look at me" 

The brunette sighed but did as he was told. Thomas smiled softly at him, his features void of any judgement or even discomfort. 

"It's okay", he repeated, trying to calm his friend, " _It's okay_. Stop freaking out." 

"I can't help it", Dylan whined, shaking his head, "Damn it, what's wrong with me?" 

"Nothing's wrong with you, Dylan. Everything's fine, nothing happened. Just _breathe_ ", Thomas said, giving Dylan's wrists in his grip a gentle squeeze, "Please calm down"

After a good ten minutes, Dylan’s breathing became less erratic and his heartbeat slowed a little. It was okay. They were okay. He didn’t ruin their friendship. Thomas was still there. He sent the blonde a nervous smile.

"I’m sorry", he chuckled awkwardly but it sounded humourless. 

Thomas shrugged it off, staring at the younger boy with a subtly upset look on his face. He couldn't believe this dare had put such a strain on Dylan and he hated himself for not having noticed it. He hated Dylan for not having come to him. He was a little hurt that Dylan would actually doubt him like that. 

"I do care. I always care, you know that, don’t you?", he questioned softly. The brunette’s eyes shot up to stare at Thomas with an unreadable expression because in just one day, Dylan had managed to publicly humiliate and yell at him after having treated him like crap for several weeks on end, so Thomas should be furious but _no_ , here he was, comforting him and actually worrying about making Dylan think he didn’t care. His heart jumped a little, making his chest feel agonisingly tight. It seemed to do that a lot today.  
“Of course”, he whispered with difficulty, “So do I”  
“Then why didn’t you come to me?”, Thomas asked, sounding more confused than reproachful. Dylan gave him a look as if to ask if he was really being serious. 

"It’s not exactly casual conversation", he answered in a cautious tone, training his eyes on the floor they stood on. Then, it was quiet again for a few minutes. Dylan could still feel Thomas' tender hold on his wrists and curiously looked up at him when he noticed the strange expression that had taken over the blonde's face. 

"You know, of it really bothers you so much", Thomas started hesitantly, "We- ... we should _do_ something about it"


	2. Unfinished Business

It had sounded more like a question than a statement and Dylan's eyes widened in shock while his mouth fell open at what his friend seemed to be implying. He couldn't hide his surprise for in no version of this exact scenario that he had imagined in his mind, had this been Thomas' reaction.

"W-what?", Dylan stuttered, unsure if he even understood the other correctly, or if maybe this was another stupid joke. Thomas couldn't possibly be serious.

The blonde sensed the other's disbelief and immediately felt the heat rise up his face. Flustered, he let go of Dylan's wrists and let out a nervous laugh. _Way to freak him out, Thomas_ , he thought.

"Nothing", he said quickly, "It's a stupid idea. I thought it'd help you with closure or something. Never mind, I should go"

He turned around and reached the door in a few hurried steps.

"Wait, Thomas", Dylan called out almost too quickly, "Do you mean like actually… _kiss_? "

Dylan was horrified at how desperate and awkward that question sounded coming from his lips, cringing inwardly but it was too late. It's not like he could sink any lower after today anyway. Thomas didn’t look at him but nodded his head hesitantly, the gesture so small that Dylan almost missed it.

"Okay", he whispered just loud enough for Thomas to hear.

Their eyes met and both of them seemed equally astonished at the sudden turn of events. _How the hell had they gotten themselves into this situation?_

Thomas swallowed and slowly moved to stand in front of Dylan again, feeling massively overwhelmed by the whole scenario but he forced himself to remain calm, or at least seem like it. Dylan was his friend and he didn't want him to be distant or irritated. He didn't want him to be worried or tense. He just wanted him to be the way he'd always been. He wanted them to be the way they'd always been. If this would get them there, then so be it. In all honesty and much to his own surprise, Thomas didn't even mind all that much. His eyes focused on Dylan and he could see the other fidget nervously as if literally battling the anxiety and worry that practically radiated off of him.

"Don't be so nervous", Thomas smiled and hesitantly put his hands on Dylan's waist. He was himself surprised by how forward he was being but somehow, it came naturally to him. When Dylan didn't protest, Thomas gently pulled him closer, "You're an actor, after all"

Much to the blonde's delight, that got a half-hearted laugh out of the younger boy, whose features expressed a mixture of curiosity and awe at the way Thomas was holding him, before he looked back up, his eyes wide and still clouded with doubt.

"Loosen up", Thomas mumbled, trying to act confidently for both their sakes even if that's not at all how he felt, "It's just me"

Dylan swallowed, nodding and hesitantly put his hands onto Thomas' shoulders. _It's just him_. He took a deep breath.

"So ... what – ", Dylan began but Thomas quickly cut him off by leaning in so close their foreheads were touching. Dylan's eyes instantly lowered, his gaze dropping to focus on Thomas' lips. His heart suddenly pounded out of his chest at how the other’s proximity. He was still unable to believe that this was really happening. This couldn't possibly be real. But it was. He could clearly _feel_ the blonde's warm breath fanning over his face, making him shiver. Thomas was _so close_ now, _they_ were so incredibly close, and he'd subconsciously been _waiting_ so incredibly long and all of a sudden, he couldn't take it any longer.

His eyelids fluttered shut and he slowly closed the gap between them, leaning in just close enough to connect their lips. It was chaste, soft, careful and hesitant. Their lips were barely touching but it was still a kiss. It would count. They did it. They had gone through with the dare. _It was enough_. And maybe, or most probably, Dylan should have left it at that, but he found himself unable to pull away. His mind had stopped racing with thoughts the second the blonde’s lips had touched his own and a lightheaded feeling washed over him all at once, making him unable to do the right thing and just pull away.

Instead, he tentatively pressed closer, lips parting and starting to move timidly against Thomas', kissing him more deeply and coaxing a response out of the other before either of them could process what was happening. Part of him was all of a sudden too intoxicated by the blonde to make a rational decision. Some other part of him wanted to know how far he could go. How far the other would _let_ him go. What it would be like.

Instinctively, Thomas pulled Dylan closer, his hands moving from the brunette's waist to his hips without either of them noticing, his fingers pressing faintly into the skin. He kissed back rather firmly, without much hesitation because it seemed to him that Dylan clearly _wanted_ this and his grip on the other's body tightened even more at that thought. Thomas hated to admit it, but in some absurd, incomprehensible and twisted way, he liked this, suddenly craved more and he found himself really wanting Dylan to feel the same.

Feeling Thomas' lips move demandingly against his own was all Dylan needed to let go. To let himself get lost in this kiss while the uncertainty slowly left him. His hands found their way around Thomas' neck and into his hair, pulling ever so slightly as the latter let out a muffled, low groan. Thomas froze at the sound, suddenly scared that they had taken this too far but Dylan didn't even seem fazed. He couldn't get himself to care, even though he knew he should. Before his mind could catch up with his actions, he ran his tongue along Thomas' bottom lip, emitting a soft whine from the blonde. Taking advantage of his parted lips, Dylan slipped his tongue into the other's mouth in one deliberate movement. Thomas responded immediately, their tongues exploring each other's mouths before playfully battling for dominance that neither would let the other have.

Thomas let his hands wander mindlessly to Dylan's lower back, his nails softly digging into the skin through the thin fabric of the latter's shirt. Dylan shuddered and moaned at the touch, _actually moaned_ , the sound getting lost in Thomas’ mouth . His hands were gently pulling at the blonde strands between his fingers and before he could change his mind or overthink it, his lips were firmly pressed against Thomas' neck, making the latter hiss at the sudden contact. Dylan left a trail of gentle kisses down the sensitive skin until he found the sweet spot that left Thomas gasping for air. Dylan smirked when the other tilted his head to the side with a soft sigh to grant him better access. He started to suck and nip at the skin, his teeth grazing over the sensitive spot until Thomas was whimpering breathlessly under his touch. The older boy's grip on Dylan tightened remarkably as he felt his knees almost crumple beneath him. Dylan on the other hand, revelled in the sounds that escaped the blonde and pulled away just enough to look at the other. He stared at the mark his soft assault had left on the older boy's neck and could feel his stomach flip at the sight. He raised his gaze to meet Thomas' eyes. The latter was still breathing heavily, his lips already slightly swollen and his hair was a dishevelled mess on top of his head with a few dark blonde strands falling over his dim and clouded eyes.

Before he could stop himself, Dylan reached out and pushed away the loose locks from Thomas' face. The latter unconsciously leaned into the gentle touch, sighing softly and let his eyelids flutter closed for a couple of seconds. When he finally looked back at Dylan, his eyes were dark, alert and dazed at the same time, a drowsy smile playing on his face.

Thomas stared suggestively at Dylan before he turned his head to plant a soft kiss onto the other's fingers that were so gently cupping his face. Dylan gasped quietly, then bit his lip at seeing the effect he seemed to have on the other. He didn't really have time to think much of it because he could feel Thomas' hands shift from his hips to under his shirt. He inhaled sharply at feeling the blonde's fingers move delicately along his bare skin, sending shivers through him and making him squirm under the soft contact.

Although his mind was paralysed with confusion and surprise at the bold action and he couldn’t wrap his mind around any of it, Dylan's body responded to the other's touch at once. His breathing quickened and became heavier as he looked at Thomas with dark eyes, his pupils so dilated that the honey brown of his irises was almost completely gone. His self-control was out the window as he hurriedly smashed their lips together once more, their tongues immediately dancing around each other as Dylan just completely _lost_ it.

His head was empty of all thoughts except for Thomas, whose name was repeatedly echoing through his mind, driving him insane.

He harshly gripped the blonde by the hips and pulled him impossibly closer, pushing their bodies together and grinding his hips into the other in a way that made them both moan. Thomas reached up with one hand to cup Dylan's face, the other getting lost in his messy dark hair, pulling roughly. More desperately. More out of control. Neither of them truly realised how Dylan was clumsily walking Thomas towards the bed until their kiss broke apart as they both collapsed on the covers rather messily. Thomas chuckled quietly.

"Very elegant", he smirked in a playful tone.

"Shut up, Thomas"

Dylan was on top of the blonde in seconds, kissing him hungrily, almost urgently while purposely grinding down on him. Thomas fidgeted beneath him, refraining only with difficulty from rolling his hips up into Dylan's while trying at the same time to suppress another embarrassing noise. In revenge, his hands slipped beneath Dylan's shirt as he raked his nails up and down the bare skin of the brunette's back in an achingly slow pace, leaving faint scratches in his wake that made the younger shiver and moan in response. Dylan pulled away and Thomas was mesmerized by the brown eyes that were intensely staring down at him. They were so much darker than usual, clearly filled with lust and longing, but still somehow looking at him with adoration. Or at least that's what he liked to tell himself right then. He knew he probably mimicked the other's appearance. Dylan's gaze, on the other hand, roamed Thomas' body before his eyes settled on the hickey he'd left on his neck. He was taken aback by how much he _liked_ it. It just looked _so incredibly good_ on him and Dylan couldn't help but think how it literally marked Thomas, revealing exactly where his lips had touched the blonde and how close they'd been. Dylan's eyes darkened even more the longer he stared at it. He burned with the desire to leave behind some more of these faint bruises on the other's pale and delicate skin.

For a minute, they just remained like that: Dylan hovering above Thomas with their bodies entangled and their faces mere inches apart from each other, staring. Somehow, Dylan felt that it wasn't because of the dare anymore. Not to him at least. It had gone way beyond that stupid dare. They might have gone too far but in that moment, it seemed right. In that moment, it was what they both wanted. And neither of them could really think clearly anymore, so neither of them said anything. Neither of them broke away from the other and neither of them really wanted to stop. They would deal with the repercussions of their actions tomorrow.

Instead, Dylan dipped his head down, lightly tracing Thomas' lips with his tongue, both their eyes fluttering shut before he claimed the blonde's mouth again. They kissed more slowly this time. Gentler. He caught the older boy's bottom lip between his teeth and pulled slightly, gentle as ever, making the other whine. Then, his mouth moved to Thomas' jawline, peppering light kisses on the skin as he worked his way down to the blonde's neck once more, leaving behind the wet trail of his lips and the occasional faint hickey. His mind was completely focused on the soft sighs and moans that fell from the lips of the boy beneath him.

As he reached the collar of Thomas' dress shirt, Dylan's fingers quickly proceeded to work on undoing the white button up but found himself unsuccessful at doing so. He was too impatient and agitated, his hands were unsteady and seemingly not under his control as he failed to unfasten those stupid buttons. With an exasperated groan, he simply ripped the material apart in a harsh movement, ignoring how good it had looked on the blonde. Thomas was about to protest but the words died in his throat when Dylan's hands were placed on his bare waist, warm lips pressed against the skin covering his collarbone and hips thrusted firmly into his own, making him gasp for air.

"Shit", he moaned loudly as his hips bucked involuntarily, "D-Dylan"

The younger was sucking harshly, almost painfully at the blonde's skin, drawing blood to the surface and skimming his teeth over the sensitive spot until another very prominent, permanent mark was created. He pulled away with a last kiss to the love bite he'd just made, satisfied. Then, Dylan moved back up to face Thomas, who was panting, his breathing completely ragged, and he enjoyed seeing how he made the other feel. The blonde's hands went from clawing at Dylan's back to desperately tugging at his shirt. In the next instant, the piece of clothing was gone, carelessly pulled over Dylan's head and thrown away somewhere, probably joining some torn off buttons of Thomas' ruined dress shirt on the floor. Dylan smirked as he looked at Thomas and stalled the movement of his hips completely, pulling away slightly. The blonde whined at the loss of contact before he glared at Dylan, pushing him off rather roughly and flipped them over with a low growl, trapping the younger one beneath him. He caught both of Dylan's wrists in his hands and forcefully pinned them down on either side of his body, but he was careful not to hurt the younger.

"Tease", he whispered into Dylan's ear, leaning in so close that the other shivered. Dylan chased after a kiss as Thomas pulled away but the latter held him pinned to the bed with a smirk. He put his lips onto Dylan's body in an open-mouthed kiss, hearing the latter moan loudly as he did so. Thomas let his tongue trail down all the way from the younger's neck to his torso in a dreadfully slow fashion. Dylan could feel the goose bumps rise where the other touched him and he struggled to keep still when he felt Thomas' soft lips pressing wet kisses all over his chest. The blonde continued to let his tongue trail further down, running it slowly over the younger's stomach, swirling. Dylan's back arched against the other's mouth, with a desperate whimper. Thomas chuckled and released the pressure on the younger's wrists and his hands moved downwards, teasing the waistband of Dylan's trousers while the latter buried his hands in blonde hair and let out a low whine. Thomas proceeded to undo the button, then the zipper and the brunette's hips thrust upwards at the contact.

"Damn it, Thomas", he moaned as the older boy undressed him, leaving him only in his boxers. The blonde's own jeans followed next. Then, Dylan swiftly flipped them over again. He pushed their bare torsos together, intertwining their hands and pressing them against the mattress. He buried his head in the blonde's neck, planting soft kissing on the heated skin as his hips pushed consistently against the other's, shooting pleasure through both their bodies. Despite the lust that clouded his mind, realisation suddenly hit the blonde out of nowhere.

"Dyl", Thomas panted, suppressing a moan, "Dylan we can't - ... you have to stop"

Another thrust of the brunette's hips along with soft lips kissing him so deeply and desperately that his mind went blank and Thomas' back arched off the mattress with a groan, pressing himself against Dylan's body while his fingers clawed at his back, completely betraying his own words. It took him a minute to recollect himself. Then, Dylan's fingers grazed the waistband of his underwear and he panicked.

"Dylan, _stop_ ", he whined weakly against the other's lips in a last attempt to prevent them both from a disaster, ignoring his own desire and how his body was basically burning for the brunette's touch, "Please, stop. _Please_ "

Dylan immediately froze at Thomas' soft plea and pulled away to look at him with concern suddenly clear in his lust-filled eyes. A faint whimper escaped the blonde, his hands now pressing softly against Dylan's chest.

"Are you okay?", the latter breathed, frowning in concern, "Did I hurt you?"

Thomas shook his head and closed his eyes, a series of soft sighs falling from his lips as he was still trying to catch his breath.

"What's wrong?", Dylan asked worriedly, still hovering above the other. Thomas struggled to give a coherent answer for the feeling of the younger's body pressed against his own was messing with his mind and making it hard for him to stand his ground.

"We can't do this", was all he managed to blurt out as he pushed Dylan away a little more firmly to show he really meant it, all the while avoiding the other's intense gaze.

"Oh" Dylan's face fell, hurt and confused, as humiliation and regret instantly became clear on his features and he frantically tried to move off the other.


	3. The Silent Treatment

Dylan was on his feet before Thomas could say a word, but he was quick to react, sitting up and reaching for his friend’s arm. 

“Dylan wait”, he said, “Are we okay?” 

He could hear the other sigh, refusing to answer and stubbornly pivoting away from him. Impatiently, Thomas tugged at Dylan’s arm, forcing him to face his way and searched his expression for an answer. 

“Did I say something wrong?”, he pressed but Dylan shook his head, not meeting his eyes.

“Just let me get dressed”, he mumbled softly, “Please” 

Dylan sounded so utterly embarrassed that Thomas let go of his arm, out of surprise rather than because he actually wanted to. He watched intently as the brunette noiselessly shuffled around the room, putting his clothes back on in a hurry. Perplexed and out of words, he slowly started to do the same. 

“I’m not going to keep doing this, Dylan”, he sighed after a while, breaking the dead silence that had overtaken the room, “You need to start talking to me or stop acting like something’s seriously wrong” 

It was a plea more than a reproach. He couldn’t stand the thought of Dylan keeping all to himself. He would rather have them fight than go back to ignoring each other for ages and he knew that was exactly what would happen if he just walked out that door now. Everything would blow up in their faces sometime later and every friendship could only ever take so many setbacks before taking some serious damage. Even theirs. And that was pretty much the last thing he would ever want. 

“What do you want me to say, Thomas?”, Dylan said without ceasing his movements, or even just looking at him. Thomas shrugged.

“Anything”

“We shouldn’t have done this. Everything’s already a little bit too much and I just need some space and time to catch my goddamn breath.”

Thomas merely nodded, mostly because he didn’t know what to say or if an answer was even welcome at all. 

“I just need to be alone right now.”, Dylan said finally, hesitantly stepping towards the door, “I…I’m gonna go”

“What? No, Dylan, it’s your room. I’ll leave if you want me to”, Thomas objected instantly and moved in front of his friend.

He felt the urge to reach out to him but he was afraid of making Dylan uncomfortable, which he knew was technically absolutely ridiculous given their current situation. Nevertheless, the atmosphere in the room had shifted drastically and Thomas suddenly felt more than unwelcome. He studied Dylan’s expression, looking for anything that would reassure him that they would be fine but Dylan just bit his lip, a nervous habit when he was trying to keep himself from blurting out something stupid. He really didn’t want Thomas to leave but he couldn’t possibly admit that now.

_Please stay_ , he thought desperately. Instead, “Okay”, was all he managed to actually choke out.  


Thomas frowned at him the way he so often did when he couldn’t quite figure his friend out. He felt that something was wrong. Somewhere in between the stupid dare and the present moment, they had drifted apart from each other and now they were unable to see eye to eye. Somewhere along the line, something had gone terribly south and now he wasn’t even sure he wanted to investigate the matter any further. If their friendship was doomed, then he would much rather remain ignorant of it for as long as humanly possible. Not that he could have done anything about it right then anyway, with Dylan subtly kicking him out of his room and refusing to be honest with him at all. Before he could stop himself, he stepped forward and hugged Dylan tightly.  


“I love you, Dyl”, he said so quietly and quickly that Dylan might as well have imagined it, and then, he was gone, disappearing down the hallway before the brunette could even process his words.

The following days on set went off just as Thomas had anticipated with dread. They ignored each other completely, except when they were shooting or caught up in activities with the rest of the cast. In fact, they had become so distant that Dylan secretly looked forward to every single scene he had together with Thomas, more than he usually did anyway because those were the rare moments he actually got to be close to him. Even with their lives threatened at all times, Newt and Thomas somehow seemed to have fewer issues than they themselves did in reality and the only times both of them got to relax and behave even just remotely affectionate towards each other was when they were in character.

The truth was that Dylan already missed Thomas terribly even though the absolute silence between them had only been going on for a few days. Every time something even just remotely funny or stupid happened, he’d automatically turn towards Thomas before he’d remind himself of their situation, blushing and forcing himself to look away again. Every time he wanted to crack a joke or make an incredibly silly remark, he’d open his mouth to tell Thomas but then he’d remember and remain quiet. Every time he felt on edge or a little upset, he found himself wandering around aimlessly, knowing he would usually seek out Thomas for comfort or just to rant and he still really wanted to do that, but now he couldn’t.

And it also didn’t help that everyone kept bringing Thomas up, whether they merely referenced to him or actively questioned if something was wrong between them, which he always answered with a simple no. Of course, the shift in their relationship had not gone unnoticed by the rest of the cast but Dylan strictly remained quiet, always ending the discussion as quickly it came up. Admitting to everyone else that something was off between them would only make it more real and Dylan would honestly very gladly choose denial over facts any time. Moreover, it just hurt to talk _about_ Thomas when he was unable to actually talk _to_ Thomas. And it’s not like there was anything he could say. There never seemed to be.

Sometimes, when he’d catch Thomas looking at him with that sad and subtly frustrated look on his face, just before he managed to turn away, Dylan wondered to himself if the blonde felt the same. But yes, he definitely missed Thomas although they saw each other every day and not just because he wanted his friend back but because with every minute they spent on set and with every scene they finished, the end of the shoot approached, and the entire cast was bound to go their separate ways. And just the thought of leaving the shoot on bad terms with Thomas made his heart feel a little heavy. He wanted to talk to him, make things right, somehow, but he was afraid of what that conversation might entail.

What had happened between them in his hotel room was still fresh in his memory, engraved for what seemed to be eternity and Dylan didn’t know how to handle it. He felt silly, knowing that nothing major had really gone down, but still, he couldn’t just ignore it. He could have handled a simple kiss. He would have been able to deal with that, with this stupid dare, if only they hadn’t gone beyond that.

But they had done way more than just kiss for reasons that were unknown to him and he didn’t know what it meant. At this point, he wasn’t even sure to what extent he could consider it an accident. If he was honest with himself, it hadn’t been an accident. Not really.

People don’t accidentally kiss each other. People surely don’t accidentally almost hook up with each other.

But if it hadn’t been an accident, a stupid almost-mistake made in the heat of the moment, then what was it? Could he and Thomas just go on being friends like it never happened? Did Thomas think about it as much as he did? Would they eventually come to the same conclusion? Dylan had so many questions with no answers that it drove him insane.  


_I don’t know_ , he would think every time they popped up in his mind and then, _Why don’t I know?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry. Major writer's block plus school ruining my life:( I know it's been ages and it's not much but it is honestly all I could write for now. I still don't really know where I want this story to go and for how long I wanna keep it going, so please do let me know what you want me to do. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year! Thanks for reading:)


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